The Only Man on Earth
by PrehistoricCat
Summary: Connor doesn't know where he fits in any more, and is growing increasingly frustrated that no-one is looking for Danny. *set a couple of months after Connor and Abby return from the Cretaceous*
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Not mine, no copyright intended**

**Author note: This story is mostly angst based around a general story, put in the M rating because I can't help myself with the sex scenes ;) It's only a paragraph, so you can skip it if you want ;)**

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Connor was stood on the observation level, looking down into the main hub. He watched the various workers going about their business, particularly the team looking after the ADD. It was like a well oiled machine, each part efficient and knowing exactly what was required. It seemed to be working perfectly well without him, and he wasn't entirely sure where he fitted in now.

It had been two months since he and Abby had made it back. After the initial questioning and debriefing, they were expected to slip back into the team and get on with it. Abby had just slotted straight in with no effort. Despite the fact the new team leader, Matt, had a background in Zoology, his areas of speciality differed to Abby's. He seemed to respect her input, and would often come over and ask her about something. He knew she was happy to be back, and looked forward to coming in every day. Connor had still to find his position in the new team dynamic, and he was beginning to feel like a spare part.

Life at home was great of course. When they first got back, Lester had insisted they stayed in quarantine for a couple of weeks to make sure they hadn't brought back any diseases. They loved having the time to themselves without the fear of getting eaten or worrying where their next meal was coming from. They had sex in practically every nook or cranny in the flat they could find, simply because they could, and Connor was blissfully happy. He'd become a confident man in the six months they were alone, but as soon as they went back to work, his old insecurities began to return.

Abby had missed being around other people the most, and now she was making up for it. She was animated and chatty, finding any excuse to go and talk to someone at the ARC. Connor would even say she was bordering on flirty at times, and he could see the drool practically hanging out of some of the male's mouths as she walked around the place. She could have her pick of men if she wanted, and it would only be a matter of time before she realised that Connor was no longer the only man on Earth.

"Is everything OK, Conn?" Abby said, as she climbed into bed next to Connor. "You've been a bit quiet the last few days." She looked down at him and could see sadness in his eyes.

"I'm just feeling a bit … overwhelmed. So many changes." He sighed. Abby slipped her arm around his waist and rested her head on his chest, he stroked her shoulder. "I'm not sure if I belong at the ARC any more. The new team seems to be doing pretty well without my input."

"Don't say that, Conn. As far as I can see, there hasn't been any new technology installed since we disappeared. They've just kept it all running smoothly, waiting for you to come back and upgrade it all, reinvent it … all that stuff that you do so well!"

Connor closed his eyes. He wasn't convinced. He felt Abby's head lift from his chest and her hand slide from his waist to his hip and then to his cock. His body responded to her touch, but he was not getting the usual sense of pleasure from it. She straddled him and leaned down to kiss him, positioning herself so that he could enter her. For the first time since being together, sex did not make him feel happy, it merely reminded him of what he could so easily lose. As he emptied himself into her, her fingers digging hard into his chest and giving soft mews of happiness, he began to sob uncontrollably.

"Connor?" Abby said. "Connor?, what's wrong?"

"Just hold me, Abby." He whispered. Abby slumped herself onto his chest and wiped his tears from his cheeks. She wrapped herself around him, sensing his need for comfort but not understanding why. Surely this wasn't just about feeling he didn't belong?

They fell into an uneasy sleep. Abby was worried, this was not like Connor at all. Even at the lowest point in the Cretaceous, he could be rallied round with a joke, a kiss or a hug.

The following day, Connor was sat at his computer, reading through some of the reports filed whilst they were away. The more he read, the angrier he got. He had to go and see Lester, he needed answers. He stormed into Lester's office without knocking.

"Temple? This had better be very important." Lester said.

"Why isn't anyone looking for Danny?" Connor demanded. "All those people out there, working away, and not one of them is doing something to try and find him."

"And what do you propose we should be doing?"

"We should be using the anomaly opening device I brought back with me! We should be trying to get Helen's route from it and opening the anomalies to go and get him! Or are we just going to sit back and hope he gets lucky like Abby and I did? We'd still be there now if luck wasn't on our side wouldn't we? You didn't try to find us either did you?" Connor banged his fist on the desk.

"Sit down, Connor." Lester glared at him. Connor didn't move. "I said, sit down." Connor obeyed. "You've read all of Captain Becker's reports I take it?"

"Yes. That's how I know all you did was sit around and wait." Connor felt the anger swelling inside him.

"It wasn't as simple as you think it was. When the three of you didn't return, a team was sent through the anomaly at the racetrack to try and find you. We lost 2 soldiers, attacked by future predators, and Becker recalled the team back to the present. The anomaly closed a couple of days later, and we had to close the case."

"Close the case? Three of the team missing and you close the case?" Connor couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Believe me, I was not happy about it, but the minister was on my back. Explaining the loss of 5 people within days of each other was messy to say the least, and there were those high up that wanted to close us down completely. I couldn't allow that, not with the three of you still out there somewhere. After some negotiation, the agreement was that no-one would go through an anomaly again. It's considered too risky, we cannot afford to lose another …"

"That's just a load of crap, Lester!" Connor stood up. "I can't believe you allowed us to be just abandoned! I can't believe you're still sitting there, knowing Danny is out there somewhere alone!" He stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him. He felt several pairs of eyes on him, following him as he stomped angrily down the stairs towards Abby's lab. He slammed open the door, allowing it to swing back. He slumped into the chair at Abby's desk.

"Connor?" Abby said. She was stood at the microscope on the workbench.

"We should be looking for Danny." He said. "He's out there, alone, amongst god only knows what. At least we had each other to help get through the difficult times."

"Connor, you've read the reports. It's too dangerous to …"

"Not you too, Abby? He's our friend. We can't just abandon him! I can probably get that anomaly opener charged up and hopefully find the route that Helen programmed into them. We could follow the route and try and find him." Connor looked at Abby with pleading eyes.

"Connor, if this is about you needing to fit in again, then you're going about it all wrong. Going against Lester's rules is not going to help is it?" Abby said. She moved towards Connor, placing her hand on his arm.

"This isn't about me!" He shouted at her, shrugging her hand away. "This is about trying to help a friend. I thought you, of all people, would understand." He could feel tears welling up.

"Connor, calm down!"

"I will not calm down, Abby!" he stood up and walked out, slamming the door.

Back in his own office, Connor tried to think rationally. If no-one else was going to try and help Danny, then it looked like it was down to him. He sat and stared at the device in his hands. It had been in his rucksack since the power failed on it. He had altered the plug on his ipod charger to fit the device, and it seemed to be charging from his laptop. The data he was getting from the device didn't mean much to him, but at least there was something on there. Surely that had to mean it still had Helen's route on it, and that he could go after Danny? After half an hour, the light on the device stopped flashing and remained on. Was it fully charged now? Could he risk it? The last thing he wanted was to find himself with no way of getting back like last time. With a deep breath, he prepared himself to go on a rescue mission.

He grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the fridge in the kitchen, and got a handful of chocolate bars from the vending machine. He raided Abby's cupboard, knowing she had some apples, and a couple of bags of crisps from his own. He had no idea how long this was going to take, so he hoped he had enough to see him through. In the weapons cupboard, he found a small tranquiliser gun that he thought he might find useful, and a penknife – something he wished he'd had in the cretaceous. He was ready. Maybe he should try and persuade Abby to come with him. He would show her it was all properly planned out, and to be honest, he didn't really want to do this alone.

After Connor had walked out of the lab so angrily, Abby had been left shell shocked. She had never seen Connor get angry like that. His behaviour the last few days had really concerned her, and he was getting more and more distant. She decided to go the gym area, kicking hell out of the punchbag might make her feel a bit better and clear her head. As she pounded into the leather of the bag, she felt her frustrations well up. She found herself crying.

The door creaked open. It was Becker, and he was dressed in his tracksuit, ready for his daily session. "Sorry, bad time. I'll come back later." He said, when he saw Abby's tears.

"It's OK. Come in." she said.

"Anything I can help with?"

Abby sat down on the bench where she usually lifted weights. Becker sat next her. "It's Connor."

"I had noticed he seemed a bit … odd. Well, more odd than usual."

"He thinks he doesn't fit in here anymore. He's getting himself so worked up, he's getting angry. I'm worried about him." Her tears flowed even more. Becker's arm slid around her shoulder. She couldn't help it, he felt so warm. She pulled him closer to her and sobbed into his chest. Becker's arms circled her, softly caressing her shoulders.

"Abby?" Connor's sobbing voice filled the air, then the sound of his feet running down the corridor.

"Shit! What must that have looked like?" Abby said, pulling away from Becker.

"Go after him!" Becker said. "You have to set him straight."

Abby ran as fast as she could, yelling "Connor!" as she went.

When she eventually caught up with him, he was getting into the driver's seat of one of the 4x4s they used for anomaly missions. She banged on the door to try and get his attention, but he either didn't see her, or chose to ignore her. He pulled out of the car park at speed.

"He's going to get himself killed!" Abby thought, getting into her own car. She had to go wherever it was he was going and make him understand he didn't see what he thought he had seen. At first, she thought he was heading to the flat, but he took a different turning. 20 minutes later, he was pulling into a very familiar place – the race track, the place where they had gone into the future to rescue Jack, and where they had gone through into the cretaceous and the start of their nightmare.

She parked up behind him and ran after him. "Connor, what are you doing?" she panted, struggling to keep up with him.

"I'm doing what everyone else is too gutless to do! He's our friend, Abby, and I refuse to just abandon him!" he shouted back. His face was crumpled, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Connor, think about this…" Abby pleaded, but Connor was already pointing the device into the air.

An anomaly appeared, and without even a glance backwards, Connor stepped through it. "Connor!" Abby yelled, and she ran towards it to follow him. It disappeared. "CONNNNNOOOOORRRR!" she screamed. He had gone, he had closed the anomaly, and she was left alone staring at the space left behind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Not mine, no copyright intended**

**A/N: Connor has gone through the anomaly alone, leaving Abby to deal with the consequences back at the ARC**

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Connor looked around him and blinked. Everything looked familiar, and yet different as well. He couldn't quite define how it was different – the deserted buildings and cars were still there, the air still had the foul stench of sulphur, and he got a chill of dread as he remembered his previous visits to this version of the future.

He couldn't afford to dwell on what he had just done, or what he had seen back at the ARC. He could do that later when he was in relative safety. Right now, his priority was getting to the next anomaly site across the other end of the street without alerting any predators to his presence. Already, he felt like something was closing in on him, and the longer he stood around, the more vulnerable he was making himself.

"C'mon!" he said to himself, preparing to make a dash for the building at the end of the street, the one he now knew was some kind of ARC from the future. He began to run, keeping close to the buildings to try and blend in, rather than be exposed in the middle of the road. He moved with purpose, he had to. Any hesitation now would mean certain death – that was something he had learnt very quickly in the Cretaceous. Whether it was just typical Connor bad luck, or carelessness, or some combination of both, he suddenly found himself falling. He lay sprawled out on his front, trying to stifle his cry of pain as his jaw hit the ground.

He froze to the spot, listening. He could taste blood in his mouth and he hurt like hell, but he had already probably got a whole swarm of predators heading for him, he couldn't risk more. He could feel the air around him shift and change. They were coming. He stole a glance around him to see if he could see anything: nothing yet, but those things moved incredibly fast, they could be on him in seconds.

He pulled himself to his feet and was about to make a run for it when he spotted movement just above.

"_This is not happening! This is not happening!"_ he thought. His only chance now was to hide and hope it went away. He slid inside the car nearest to him and curled himself into as small a ball as he could behind the driver's seat. Then he waited, holding his breath and desperately trying not to move or make a sound. Suddenly, there was a thud as the creature landed on the roof, and the car began to rock. The fear that swept through Connor made him feel physically sick and his whole body shook_. "Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh Shit!_" There was no-one to distract the creature away and allow him to escape, there was no-one to shoot the creature, not this time …

He had been in pretty much the same situation the first time they'd encountered the future predators. It was Abby and Stephen that had saved him on that occasion, and right now he would give anything to hear Abby's shouts or the sound of a bullet being fired from Stephen's gun….

The car began to shake violently, and the un-mistakable sound of the attacking predator struck further terror through Connor's mind. He was now almost glad no-one could see him, the pathetic whimpers he could hear coming from his mouth were an embarrassment. He threw his arms over his head and braced himself for the inevitable. Glass flew at him as the car rolled over several times, and Connor lost himself in the sheer terror engulfing him.

"He did what?!" Lester's angry voice echoed around the office. "What is it with the people around here and rules?"

"If I'd known what he had planned, I would've stopped him." Abby said. "He'd been talking about trying to go and find Danny, but I never actually thought…"

"That's just the whole point, isn't it? No-one ever thinks about things, they just go off and to hell with the consequences!" Lester said. "Perhaps if you had kept a tighter rein on your boyfriend this…"

"Don't you dare pin any of the blame for this on me, Lester! Connor and I may be a couple, but he's also his own man!" Abby was furious.

"I think we all need to calm down." Phillip said. He'd been sat listening as Abby told Lester how she'd gone after Connor and watched him disappear through the anomaly. "This is not just a simple case of someone disobeying orders. From what I know of Connor, he's not someone who deliberately breaks rules for the fun of it. He will have had his reasons, and maybe we need to be looking at this with a degree of sympathy for the young man."

Lester sat down, his mouth creased into a thin line. Abby looked at Phillip, she wasn't sure if she liked him or not, but at least he seemed to be on Connor's side. "You're right." She said. "Connor has been feeling like he doesn't belong here since we came back. I don't know if this is him trying to prove a point, or something else. He seemed … upset." Abby looked down at her feet. She didn't want Lester or Phillip to see her cry.

Lester sighed and picked up the phone. "Becker, I need you in here." He slammed the phone down and turned to Phillip. "We need to set up some kind of watch at the site again, just in case Temple decides to make a re-appearance."

"Is there any point, James? When the anomaly reopens, we'll get the alert here anyway. I don't think it's an effective use of manpower to just have soldiers sitting around waiting. It could re-open in a few minutes, or it could be months." Phillip said.

Becker appeared in the doorway. "Sir?" He glanced at Abby, wondering what this was about.

"We have a … situation, Captain." Lester began. "Temple has taken it upon himself to go looking for Danny Quinn. According to Abby here, he had Helen's device with him and used it to open an anomaly at the racetrack and disappeared through it."

Becker raised his eyebrows. "On his own?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Lester said.

Becker was shaking his head, and looked at Abby. "You didn't get to him in time? Did you speak to him?"

Abby shook her head. "He's gone off on his own, thinking you and I …" she stopped, realising that it wasn't just her and Becker in the room.

"So this was a lover's tiff? This just gets better and better." Lester said, rolling his eyes.

"With respect, Sir, arguing over who or what is to blame is not going to help our situation. We went through all that before and it almost destroyed us. The priority now is to think of ways we can find him." Becker said. He remembered only too well what had happened in the days and weeks after Danny, Abby and Connor had disappeared. He had blamed himself for a while, even offered his resignation over it. He was meant to keep them safe, and he'd allowed the three of them to go off after Helen without back up.

"You're right of course, Captain." Lester conceded. "We don't have the means to open an anomaly, so we have to play the waiting game again. We put the ADD back onto round the clock manned surveillance, I'm not going to rely on the 'auto pilot' for this. Tomorrow we'll have a full staff briefing on the situation."

"I'll take the first night shift." Abby said. "The second Connor comes back, I want to know about it."

"Count me in too, Sir." Becker said. He looked at Abby, figuring she needed a friend right now.

"OK, keep us informed." Phillip said. "Go and get yourselves something to eat, and come back later for the night watch."

Abby and Becker walked out together. "Pizza?" he said.

"Yeah. That would be good." She said.

Connor opened his eyes. He could barely move, the crushed metal of the car surrounded him completely. There was an eerie silence. Was he even alive? It would be just his luck to have died and be condemned to spend eternity trapped inside his metal coffin.

He pushed the metal above his head and it gave quite easily. A few more pushes and it was off completely, allowing him to uncurl himself. He stuck his head out, trying to work out where he was. He didn't understand it, why hadn't the predator finished him off? Cautiously glancing around to get his bearings again, he found the answer to his question. There were two predators, both devouring what looked like another predator. The predator attacking him must have decided that eating the meaty flesh of another of its kind was preferable to eating him, or maybe those other two had attacked it and they were eating it. Whatever the reason, he had to seize this opportunity and try to move. The question was, where?

He almost thought about turning back. He wondered if Abby was still waiting at the racetrack, or if she'd gone back to Becker. That thought made his throat tighten, adding to the physical pain he was feeling. But going back was also admitting defeat, and he wasn't ready to do that. He owed it to Danny to at least try. He had to move forwards. The anomaly site was only 50 yards or so ahead, he should be able to make it and open the anomaly to the Cretaceous easily.

Dragging himself out, he quickly checked to make sure the predators were still occupied, then made his move. He crawled very slowly along the crowd, hardly daring to even breathe. His body hurt with every movement he made, but he would worry about his injuries later. He pulled the anomaly opener from his pocket and pointed it towards the road. A flick of the switch and there it was – Connor grinned at the sight of the anomaly in front of him, knowing where it was going to take him. He ran through it and found himself in the familiar surroundings of Cretaceous pines. Pausing only to close the anomaly behind him, he ran, looking for somewhere that would be safe.

He hoped this anomaly had taken him to pretty much the same spot it had before. After running for several minutes he had to stop to get his breath back. He listened for a familiar sound, and gave a silent cheer when he heard the sound of rushing water somewhere over to the left. He had found the camp he and Abby had set up by the waterfall. Just a few minutes later, he was standing in the clearing. This was the place they had called home, and it was a comfort to find it looking pretty much the same as when they'd left it. He smiled, knowing that he would be relatively safe here. There was still a pile of fresh wood by the fire, waiting for Abby to light it. Abby. Connor closed his eyes. She wasn't here, and it didn't feel right.

He set about trying to light a fire. Not only would it provide warmth, but it also kept the creatures away. He was already exhausted, and hungry, and he had decided that spending the night here was more favourable than moving on to the Pliocene. At least he knew what he was likely to come across here, and he had a ready made camp.

Fire finally lit, he decided he needed to check his wounds and make sure they wouldn't get infected. He crawled into the cave and sat on the improvised mattress he and Abby had woven from branches and vines after their 5th night sleeping on the hard floor. His jaw really hurt where he'd fallen, although he didn't think it was actually broken, but he had lost a tooth – that explained the blood he could taste. He rolled up his sleeves and jeans to inspect his other injuries, mostly cuts and bruises, but nothing too bad thankfully. He took out a bottle of water and some chocolate from his rucksack, rinsing his mouth and then downing the whole bottle. The chocolate only satisfied a little of his hunger, but he was used to being hungry now. Finally, he allowed himself to relax just a little and actually think about what he was doing.

Perhaps, with hindsight, doing this on his own was not the best idea he'd ever had. He wished Abby was with him, being without her was scary. He had seen the look on her face when she got out of the car – she knew he had seen her with Becker. He shouldn't have been surprised, of course Abby would turn to someone like him. He was everything Connor wasn't, and Abby needed a real man, not a geek who ran off and did stupid things. He wondered where she was now.

He stood up and began pacing around the clearing, listening for any sound that might mean he was in danger. Abby was the one with the sensitive hearing, she would often hear things he hadn't. They had been a good team here, each knowing the other's strengths and weaknesses. She wouldn't do anything to hurt him, they had something special and unique. A brief smile flickered across his face as he thought of some of their happier times here.

He ventured out further, anxious to make sure the early warning system he had set up was still working. Anything stumbling into the perimeter of the camp would set off his improvised trip wire and give him enough warning to be able to climb a tree to safety. He froze briefly as he heard something in the distance. He decided it was too far away to be an immediate threat and carried on. As he checked and tightened the vines, he couldn't get the image of Becker and Abby out of his head. If she was hurting about something, why had she turned to Becker for comfort and not him? Becker had been holding her, and if he hadn't walked in when he did, would Abby's lips have been…

"Stop this, Connor!" he chastised himself. "Seeing things that aren't there is not going to help." As he began to make his way back to the clearing, he tried to push all his negative thoughts to the back of his head. He had to keep a clear head. What was it Abby had said to him? "_We can't afford to lose it out here, Conn. If we let our guard down for one second, we're Raptor bait_!" With a deep breath, he continued on his way.

Darkness was drawing in, so he settled himself down to try and get a few hours sleep, ready to make the next step in finding Danny at first light tomorrow. He tried to smooth out the mattress the best he could, and found a long blonde hair tangled in it. He pulled it out, and wrapped it around his finger, tight enough to stay put but not so tight it would stop the circulation. It was the only thing he had of Abby's, and it would have to do.

Abby and Becker had resorted to playing cards. There wasn't much to do on night watch, other than just sit and wait for something to happen. Abby had realised for the first time that she knew very little about the ADD, and felt guilty about that considering it was Connor's finest piece of work. She and Becker had been given a very quick lesson on the basics, and how to pinpoint the exact location should an alert sound, but it all seemed a little complicated. As much as she wanted an anomaly to open and Connor walk through it, she also kind of hoped it didn't happen on her watch.

"You've been through all this before haven't you?" Abby said, after losing yet another hand to Becker.

He nodded. "Seems to be becoming a bit of a habit these days."

"What was it like? The waiting, the not knowing …"

"For the first few days, we all believed you were coming back. I had to analyse every moment of what happened on that day, and believe me, if I had known what was going to happen there's no way I would have let the three of you go off on your own. A couple of the soldiers could've handled the anomaly at Christine Johnson's. I should have been with you."

"What difference would it have made if you were with us? The anomaly opener died on us, it would still have done that with you there. Connor would still have fallen out of the tree, and Danny would still have gone after Helen." She took Becker's hand. "You felt responsible didn't you?"

"For a while. Sarah did too, I think she felt guilty that she was here and safe."

"You miss her don't you?"

"I don't blame her for leaving. It all got pretty messy here. I tried to talk her into staying, but her mind was made up. With all the changes that were going on, having her around made it bearable. Yes, I miss her." Becker looked straight at Abby. It was the first time anyone had even thought to ask him how he felt about what had happened. "But, whatever hell I went through here, I'm guessing it was nothing compared to what you guys went through."

Abby looked away, some of the memories were still ones she didn't wish to think about. "It had its moments."

"Sorted you and Connor out though." Becker smiled. "I watched the two of you for months wondering when the hell you were going to actually act on your feelings!"

"We had a lot of time to talk." Abby said. "I think that's the one thing we have to be grateful for. If we hadn't had that time, maybe we'd still be dancing around each other and playing mind games."

"Do you think he really thought we were … you know?"

"Connor's not the jealous type, but he is very insecure. Even when it was just the two of us, he kept saying 'You only like me because I'm the only man on Earth.' I did think he was joking, but I'm not so sure now."

"When he gets back, you need to convince him that you really love him. Make sure he has no doubts."

"I know." Abby said. She turned her attention back to the cards. "Another game?"

Becker nodded.

Connor had been woken by his second nightmare that night. His heart was pounding hard, and beads of sweat were forming across his forehead and neck. He was used to nightmares, this wasn't exactly the first time he'd had them, but this second one had been the most disturbing he'd ever had.

The first time he'd woken, he had been dreaming that he was being chased by a combination of future predators and Raptors. They'd cornered him and were about to start tearing him apart limb by limb when he woke up. His coping strategy was the one Abby had taught him the first night in the Cretaceous. _Close your eyes and think of a happy place._ He did, and his happy place was back home, with Abby. He drifted back to sleep with visions of Abby in his head. In his dream, they were making love and he could see her smile, and the twisting of her face that told him she was close to climaxing. Then he heard her moans, and that was what woke him. It wasn't his name she was moaning. It was Becker's.

He wiped the sweat from his head and tried to calm himself. He was being ridiculous, it was only a dream – wasn't it? They had certainly looked cosy in the gym, but Abby wouldn't do that to him – unless maybe she thought he wasn't coming back? There was no way he could go back to sleep now, but venturing out into the dark alone would be suicide.

It had been a long and confusing day, he ached all over, and the pains he felt were not just physical. His eyes began to sting and he felt a stray tear fall down his cheek. Wiping it away, he bit his bottom lip, trying desperately not to let his emotions take over. He sat up, and wiped another tear from his cheek, only for it to be replaced by two more. He blinked and took a deep breath, and then stopped fighting them.

He had no idea just how long he had been sitting there crying, but when he came back to his senses, the sun was creeping its way over the horizon. It was time to move on. Taking a few minutes to refresh himself under the cold water of the waterfall, and to eat the rest of the chocolate bar he had started last night, he was ready.

He followed the lights on the device which were guiding him towards the place where he could open the anomaly that he hoped would take him to the Pliocene. It wasn't that far from where the camp had been, and he cursed that fact – if only they could have powered the device somehow when they had been here before. They could have rescued Danny then and all three of them would be safely back home now. Still, there was no point dwelling on what could have been. The anomaly opened in front of him, and with a final glance at his old home, he stepped into the glowing light, not really knowing what he would find.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Not mine, no copyright intended**

**A/N: Connor continues his mission to rescue Danny.**

* * *

Danny was sat in his usual place, scanning the horizon for any sign of danger. He knew the view as well as the back of his own hand now, he'd looked at it often enough. From up here on top of the cliff, he had a 360 degree panorama of the landscape for miles and miles. If something was heading his way, he'd spot it long before it reached him.

He had no idea what sort of creatures he should expect here, and so far he'd been fairly lucky. He hadn't encountered much that he considered really dangerous, except perhaps the occasional herd of elephant like creatures, some rather nasty snakes and a couple of near misses with a sabre tooth cat. The group of hominids that Helen had come here to kill provided him with most of the clues he needed – if they seemed concerned, he would be too. They had probably saved his life. He ate the same things they did and followed them when they moved on. But he kept a respectful distance, not knowing how friendly they would be. He didn't fancy a run-in with the alpha male.

He wished he'd paid a bit more attention at school – his knowledge of prehistoric times was restricted to drawing pictures of a T Rex, and watching 'The Flintstones' and 'Jurassic Park' He vaguely recalled something about a meteor wiping out all the dinosaurs, and an ice age … was he about to die in one of those earth changing catastrophes? Or had they already happened? Connor would know…

His mind wandered to thoughts of Abby and Connor, as it often did. He shouldn't have left them. The last time he'd seen them, Connor was injured and unconscious, leaving the pair of them exposed and vulnerable. He knew Abby would not leave Connor on his own. They were a pair, a package deal if you like. It was impossible to even think of one without the other, so he hoped that, whatever had happened to them, it had happened to both of them. Dead or alive, they should be together. Had they made it back home somehow or were they still trapped like him?

He had regarded the pair with amusement and a degree of affection. He'd watched them interact with each other; Abby trying to give the impression she wasn't interested in Connor but saying otherwise with the occasional glance or comment – Connor lacking the confidence to even think that her little flirtations were meant for him. He hoped their enforced exile would have at least made them start to actually talk to each other. He smiled at the thought of them. They were a little younger than his own brother would be now, and maybe that's why he liked them. His mind wandered to thoughts of Patrick. Clinging on to the thought that he might still be alive kept him going…

Patrick's disappearance had been the driving force behind pretty much everything Danny had done in his adult life. For years, the family believed Patrick had been murdered in that house. There had been no body, no conviction, no resolution and no justice. That was why he'd joined the police force – if his family couldn't get peace of mind, then he'd make sure other families did.

All that changed when he met the ARC team though. Suddenly, there was a glimmer of hope that maybe Patrick hadn't died at all. That was why he quit his job and went after the team. They seemed to know something about these anomalies, and maybe they could help. Jenny had told him to let it rest now, but he couldn't. Was it possible that Patrick was living quite happily somewhere on the other side of an anomaly? Maybe one day, they'd find each other again.

On many occasions, when the hunger and dehydration set in, he would 'see' Patrick. He'd had long conversations with him, trying to make sense of what happened. Then, just as he thought he had it all worked out, Patrick would be gone. It was pretty cruel really, and left him feeling like a knife had been stabbed into his chest and twisted.

Even crueler though, was seeing anomalies. At first, he'd see one and run as hard as he could towards it, hoping it would either take him home or back to where he'd left Connor and Abby. He'd be ready to run through it and then it would vanish. He realised he was seeing things, and after this had happened a few times, he stopped running. His hopes had been dashed too many times, and now he was just resigned to spending the rest of his life here. He would not let his mind play tricks on him again. So when he saw yet another anomaly appear in the distance, and what looked like a human male stumble through it, he chose to ignore it.

Connor blinked in the bright sunshine. His head felt like he'd been hit by a lead weight and he couldn't quite get the images of his nightmare out of his head. He hadn't bargained on feeling this emotionally drained and he just wanted to be curled up in his bed, shutting out the world.

He knew he needed to try and pull himself together, if he wasn't completely focused on the task ahead he could risk being attacked. The Pliocene era was not one he was particularly familiar with in comparison with some the other eras he had studied at University. He was entering pretty much unknown territory. Where did he even start to look for Danny? In the Cretaceous, he and Abby has stayed fairly close to the anomaly site, had Danny done the same?

He made his way towards the river he could see in the distance, figuring Danny would probably have headed to water. The rocky terrain was not easy on his already tired aching body, and he had to keep stopping to rest. On his third rest, he spotted a pile of rocks that didn't seem right. They were arranged in a rectangular shape – a grave possibly? Connor shuddered, and realised for the first time that if he did find Danny, it may be just his body. Who had made this grave and who was buried in it? If Helen had killed Danny, would she have bothered to bury him like this? He needed to know.

Connor began to remove the rocks slowly, his hands trembling. This was probably the most gruesome thing he'd ever had to do, but it was necessary. Some time later, his hand brushed against fabric and he froze. He hardly dare look. His search for Danny could be over right now. Removing another rock revealed the fabric he had touched – it was tan coloured cotton. Connor breathed a sigh of relief, it wasn't Danny, he'd been wearing jeans and checked shirt. Was this Helen Cutter's body? It had to be.

A wave of nausea swept over him, and he found himself choking and then vomiting. Despite the hatred he felt for Helen, he had never actually wished her dead. How had she died? Was it Danny that put in her in this grave? Taking a moment to compose himself, he drank some water and took a deep breath. He started to stack the rocks back, Connor firmly believing that even people like Helen deserved a little dignity and respect in death.

He was about to set off again when he heard a noise to his left. As the noise grew louder, he realised it was something running towards him at speed, and whatever the something was, there was a lot of them! Instinctively, he pulled himself up into the nearest tree and clung to a branch. There was a large herd of what appeared to be some kind of antelope, and they were moving at speed. Whilst Connor was fascinated at the glorious sight of the swift beasts, he also knew it wasn't a good sign. Something must have scared them, and whatever it was, it wouldn't be far behind.

As the last of the herd passed beneath him, Connor waited to see what had scared the herd. He hoped that it would be so focused on its pursuit of the herd, it wouldn't even get a sniff of him. Sure enough, moments later, a leopard like cat-like creature was crawling along the ground on its stomach, stalking the slower moving creatures at the back of the herd. Connor's saw it's two prominent sabre like teeth and recognised it to be a Dinofelis, a deadly hunter. It would have no trouble devouring him in seconds. Connor held his breath, waiting for the magnificent creature to be on its way. It shot off at speed, it had obviously targeted its prey and was moving in for the kill. Connor breathed a sigh of relief.

"What are you doing hiding in that tree you big wuss!" a familiar voice floated up from somewhere below.

"Danny?" Connor exclaimed. "Is that really you?"

"Get down here so we can talk properly." Danny called. Connor began to make his way down the tree. "If you're the rescue party, have to say I'm a little disappointed. I expected guns and soldiers."

"Sorry. It's just me." Connor said, almost at the ground. "And I'm not even supposed to be here."

"So I noticed. I've been watching you for a while. I thought you were one of those mirages again, so I ignored you. Then when you didn't disappear, I figured it really could be you but didn't understand why you were on your own."

"Explanations later eh?" A huge grin spread across his face. "It is so bloody good to see you, mate!"

"Never thought I'd say this but yeah, bloody good to see you too! What kept you?" Danny gave Connor a hug – his first human contact in months. It felt good and he knew, at last, he was on his way home.

Connor found himself struggling not to cry again, his eyes beginning to sting. Finally, there was someone else who might have an idea of what he went through. Abby was the only other one who could sympathise, but she didn't really want to talk about what had happened any more. Swapping experiences could wait though. He needed to get Danny back where he belonged. "You ready to leave then?"

"You bet! Although, what food have you got in that backpack of yours?"

Connor opened his bag and rummaged around. "Bag of cheese and onion crisps, snickers bar…"

"Yes please." Danny said. He hurriedly tore the wrapper off the chocolate.

"Danny, you might want to …" but his warning came too late. Danny had practically forced the entire bar into his mouth. All Connor could do was stand back, he knew what was coming. He had done exactly the same when he got back, except with him it was pizza. According to the ARC medics, after months of such a limited and bland diet, anything else seems foreign and it gets rejected pretty quickly. Right now, Danny was just discovering that fact. Connor went over to him and handed him some water. "I did try to warn you."

Danny turned and glared at him. "If you weren't my only hope of getting home, I'd kill you right now."

Connor grinned. "You love me really Danny! Come on, let's head back up that ridge to the anomaly site. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can both get home."

"Lead the way!" Danny said.

The two men began to make their way slowly through the rocky trail Connor had just come down. Both were focused on getting to their goal as soon as possible, Danny just wanting to get home, Connor wanting to be somewhere where he at least felt reasonably comfortable. After a few minutes though, Danny's curiosity got the better of him.

"So how come it's just you, Connor? Where's Abby? She's OK isn't she?"

"Yes, Abby made it home with me, and we're fine. And before you ask, yes, we're a couple, at least I think we are."

"How long before you were rescued?"

"We weren't. They weren't even looking for us Danny! After we disappeared, Lester made this new rule that no-one was allowed to go through an anomaly. So they just sat waiting." Connor realised his voice was getting louder as the anger swelled. He had to calm down before he attracted that Dinofelis or any other predator in the area.

"So how long before you guys found a way home? How long have I been here?"

"Abby and I were missing for six months. We got lucky, we were following a couple of anklyosaurus that were behaving strangely, and ended up following them through an anomaly. It took us straight back to our own time, the main high street in the centre of Dublin to be precise. That was two months ago, so you've been here eight months."

"Wow." Danny said. It certainly felt like it had been a long time. "I suppose things have changed a bit at the ARC?"

Connor grunted. "Whole new team. Becker and Lester are the only ones we know. Abby's fitted straight in, she's been welcomed back with open arms. There's a brand new IT team, and they're getting along perfectly well without me. I'm the spare part no-one wants, but no-one feels they can sack me after what happened."

"I'm sure it's not like that, Connor. Maybe they're waiting for you to join them? Perhaps they don't want to push you before you're ready? It looks like you had a pretty tough time." Danny said, indicating the two inch scar above Connor's right eye.

"Yeah." Connor said, touching the scar for a moment. "It's a miracle either of us made it back in one piece." Connor increased his pace, anxious to be away from this place as soon as possible.

"You still didn't answer my question, why is it just you? You said no-one is allowed to come through anomalies now?" Danny called.

Connor turned to face him. "They might be able to sit around and wait for a miracle, but I can't. I needed to try and find you and I did a few repairs to the opening device we had. I was going to try and persuade Abby to come with me, but she was busy getting cosy with soldier boy."

"Abby and Becker? There's no way … are you sure?"

"She was crying and he was holding her."

"Hardly grounds for a divorce there, Connor. She was upset about something and turned to a friend. Maybe Becker just happened to be there?"

Connor couldn't shake the images out of his head. He really did not want to talk about this now. "We're not far from the site now. When we go through the anomaly back to the cretaceous, you need to be ready to make a run for it. I'll lead you to the camp Abby and I used. We can rest there for a while before we go to the future."

Danny nodded, and felt spurred on by the fact he would soon be on his way home. He heard a familiar sound in the grass to his left. "Connor be careful, there's a snake somewhere nearby. Nasty little buggers round here. I saw one of those hominids get bitten by one and he died pretty soon afterwards."

"Where?" Connor said, spinning around and stumbling. He soon found out as a sudden sharp pain shot through his ankle. "Danny? Did you see it? Was it the same kind that killed the hominid?"

"I didn't see it. It bit you? Are you sure?" Danny knelt by Connor's leg and rolled the leg of his jeans up. There was no mistaking it, two puncture marks just above his ankle. The area was already beginning to redden and swell. "It could be harmless, Connor. But I'm not taking any chances. Give me your belt."

Connor removed the belt from his jeans and handed it to Danny. "What are you doing?"

"If I tie this tight enough, it might just stop the venom from spreading further up your leg and give us a bit more time." He pulled it as tight as he could, ignoring Connor's cry of pain. "We shouldn't hang about though. Let's get that anomaly opened, and make our way through the cretaceous and the future as quick as we can. You're going to need proper medical care."

Connor nodded. He pulled out the anomaly opener and pointed it into the air. He pressed the button. Nothing happened. He pressed it again, and again. Still nothing. "No! No! No! this is not happening!" Connor shouted.

"Battery?" Danny said.

"It's charged, everything looks to be working… why isn't anything happening?" Connor sank to the ground and just stared at it. "It's not working, and I don't know why. Danny, I'm sorry."

Danny slumped next to him. "Not working? Does that mean we're both trapped here?"

Connor nodded. The pain in his leg suddenly feeling 10 times worse.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Not mine, no copyright intended**

**Thanks for the reviews and comments so far! Makes it worthwhile when you know someone is actually reading!**

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Abby was falling asleep at her desk. A glance at her watch told her she had been awake for almost 37 hours now, and it was finally catching up on her. Not even the three large mugs of coffee she had forced herself to drink helped. She stifled a yawn and tried to concentrate on her computer screen.

"Abby, you should get some rest." Becker said. "Have you even been home since Connor disappeared?"

She shook her head. "I need to be here."

Becker pulled up another chair and sat next to her. He knew how she felt, he'd done exactly the same. But he also realised there was no point in making yourself ill. "There's nothing you can do here that you can't do at home. They'll call you if there's an anomaly alert, I promise." He placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Truth is, I don't want to go back to the flat without Connor." She looked down.

"Is there someone you could stay with?"

Abby shook her head. "This job doesn't really give you time for friends outside of work does it?" She yawned again and felt her eyes begin to close again.

"You need to go home and get some sleep. You're no good to anyone in this state." Becker said, standing up.

"I'll be fine, I just need another coffee."

"If you don't get some sleep, I'll have to tell Matt you're not fit for field work. You're a danger to yourself and others. Imagine if the next call is Connor coming back and you're not allowed to go." Becker knew he had to be harsh if he was to get Abby to react.

"You wouldn't!"

"I can go and see him right now. You'll be off field work within minutes." He turned and began to walk away.

"Becker, wait! OK, you win. I'll go home and get a couple of hours sleep." She gave in. She knew he was right, although she'd never openly admit that to him.

"I'll drive you, can't have you falling asleep at the wheel and having an accident. I won't have that on my conscience as well." He pulled his car keys out of his pocket. "No arguments."

The drive home felt weird. Becker's car felt almost alien to her, and she was used to her journey home being punctuated with Connor's banter, or disputes over the radio station they should be listening to. "I thought he'd be back by now." She said, just to make conversation.

"He'll be OK, Abby." Becker said.

"I thought that maybe he'd leave it overnight to make his point, and then turn up this morning all smiles and apologies. What if that was his plan and something's gone wrong?" All sorts of scenarios were running through Abby's mind, and none of them good.

"Connor's not the sort to do something just to make a point. He's gone after Danny, and if there's anyone that could pull this off, it's him. He's more resourceful than we give him credit for." Becker wasn't entirely convinced about what he was saying, but he had to say the right thing for Abby.

"When he's thinking clearly, he is resourceful. But he went off in a highly emotional state." She had witnessed Connor being reckless on several occasions whilst they were stuck in the Cretaceous, almost getting himself killed because he hadn't thought everything through properly.

Becker pulled up outside the flat. "Do you want me to come in?" he said.

"Would you? I think it would be easier to go in with someone. I'll make you a drink."

"Not necessary, but thanks." He said. "I'll just make sure you're in safely and head off home. I've had a long day too." Becker followed Abby up the stairs into the flat. Abby went straight to the kitchen and tried to fill the kettle, but she dropped it.

"Come here!" Becker said. "Let me, you're too tired. If you're not careful, you'll injure yourself." He took the kettle from her and pushed her back towards the lounge. He set about making a cup of tea for her. By the time it was made, and he'd walked into the lounge, Abby was asleep. She'd simply sat herself on the sofa and fallen asleep, she was so tired.

Becker placed the mug on the table in front of her and went to look for a bedroom. He grabbed the duvet from the bed and wrapped it around her. He switched off the light and left, glancing backwards just once.

"OK Connor, let's try to think about this calmly. It was working fine before, yes?" Danny said.

"Yes, and the lights are all still on, so it has power." Connor was turning the device over and over in his hands. "Damn it!" he thumped the ground.

"Easy, Connor! Getting angry isn't going to solve the problem. There has to be a simple explanation and a simple solution." Danny noticed that beads of sweat were forming on Connor's forehead, and hoped that this was not a symptom of poisoning from the snake bite.

"If I'd actually spent the last two months doing proper research on this thing instead of wallowing in my own self pity, we wouldn't be in this situation. I'd know exactly how it worked and we'd be on our way home now. Do you have any water? I'm really thirsty." Connor was beginning to appear agitated, and now the thirst … Danny was worried. He handed Connor his small metal flask, the only item of any use that Danny had kept from the backpack he had with him when he got lost. He watched Connor swallow several large gulps of water, something was definitely wrong. It had to be the effects of the snake bite.

"So it's just using the same route Helen programmed in originally?" Danny said. He needed to try and keep Connor focused.

"I haven't done anything to it, so yes, it's Helen's route. That's probably what's wrong with it, she never intended to go back, so she wouldn't have planned a route home. I can't believe I didn't think of that!" Connor was getting more and more fidgety, his eyes flicking from side to side.

"It has a reverse function though, surely?" Danny was trying to sound calm.

"I don't know, Danny!" Connor shouted. He threw the device to the ground. The sweat was pouring from him now and he was beginning to shake.

Danny picked it up and turned it over and over. "It can't be that difficult, we must be able to reverse the route somehow." Connor didn't reply. "Connor? You have to stay with me, mate! We can work this out and get home, and we'll get something to stop that snake venom poisoning you."

"Danny? When you get home, tell Abby I love her." Connor said in a shaky voice.

"You can tell her yourself, Connor. We're both going home. Stay with me." Danny shook Connor, who was closing his eyes. Somehow, he had to try and keep Connor from drifting off into unconsciousness. "So, you and Abby … you finally sorted yourselves out then?"

Connor smiled. "Yeah. Did a lot of talking when we were stuck in the Cretaceous. It was just silly stuff to begin with, but after a few nights it got heavy and we both admitted to having feelings for each other."

"I reckon you two were the only ones on the planet who couldn't see how you guys felt about each other. I'm glad something good came out of all of this mess." Danny said. He glanced over at Connor, his shakes were getting worse and his eyes were rolling. "Connor?"

"Mm?" Connor muttered. He was struggling now, he felt dizzy and sick and his vision blurred.

"She does love you, you know. She's had it bad for you so long, she wouldn't risk your relationship over a stupid fling with someone like Becker." Danny said.

"You think so?"

"I know so. It sounds like you've been having a bit of a confidence crisis since you got back, and I'm sure there's no need for it. I think everyone's just given you both a bit of space to get back into the swing of things, and Abby's just found her feet a bit quicker than you have."

"Pass me the device." Connor said. He could barely hold it, he was shaking so much. "I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm going to get us home Danny. I've got some apologising to do."

"I have every faith in you, Connor. You just do your bit and get those anomalies open, I'll get us from one place to another – I'll carry you if necessary!" Danny laughed.

"You might need to." Connor said. He was certain he was about to pass out, but something kept him awake. He tried to focus on the device, despite the fact he could barely see it. He pressed every button he could find, and it beeped – it had not done that before, what did that mean? Maybe he'd just wiped everything off completely? He carried on pressing buttons randomly, not really knowing what he was doing. Moments later, an anomaly appeared straight in front of them.

"Connor, you're a freaking genius!" Danny jumped up. "Connor?" Connor was laid out on his back, shaking uncontrollably and muttering something that Danny couldn't understand. He knew he had to act rapidly and get Connor proper medical help soon or he'd die. He took the device from Connor's hands, and picked him up, throwing him over his shoulder. "OK, let's do this!"

Danny looked around him. It seemed like an eternity since he'd been here with Connor and Abby. It looked vaguely familiar, he remembered this spot as the place he'd spotted Helen Cutter and followed her to site 333. Night was beginning to draw in, and he would have liked to have rested here overnight as Connor had first suggested, but Connor was deteriorating fast and Danny feared he may not make it through the night.

Connor was slipping in and out of consciousness. He was muttering something about Raptors, but Danny couldn't understand what he was trying to say. He'd only spent an hour or so here previously, but he did recall the long list of creatures Connor had reeled off when they arrived. He glanced at Connor's face, noticing several scars. None of them were there before, so Danny guessed they all told a tale of encounters with some of those creatures. He knew he could not afford to linger.

The forest-like terrain was difficult enough under foot, but the extra weight of Connor made it even harder. After only a few minutes, he needed to rest. He slowly eased Connor to the ground, then sat down beside him. "Connor, mate. You still with me?"

"Mm." Connor managed to mutter.

"Good." Danny was about to set off again when he heard a terrifying roar in the distance. He had no idea what it was, but he didn't want to be around to find out. He glanced around him before getting to his feet and scooping up Connor with both hands.

"T-Rex." Connor muttered.

"Is that what that sound was? That's not good is it?" Danny said. He didn't need a response. He quickened his pace, needing to find the next anomaly site before the T-Rex found them. He wasn't entirely sure where he was going, and every turn looked the same. He wished Connor was a bit more coherent, he would know the way. He reached a place that seemed familiar, was this the right spot?

He lay Connor on the ground again and took the opening device out of his pocket. All he could do was try, and hope it was right. He pressed the central button, but nothing happened. In frustration, he did what Connor had done back in the Pliocene and just pressed everything randomly. When an anomaly finally appeared, Danny just stared at it. Something didn't feel right, but he didn't know why. He wasn't sure this was the right place, and what if this anomaly took them somewhere completely different?

He heard another roar, sounding closer this time. He had to make a decision, stay here and have to face the T-Rex, or risk going through the anomaly and end up even more lost? The anomaly won. He picked Connor up again and staggered through, bracing himself for whatever was on the other side.

Danny blinked. It was daylight here, and the sun was pretty intense. They were surrounded by tall, white buildings with large mirror like windows. This certainly wasn't the future they had come from before, but maybe it was a different future? At least there were signs of civilisation, which meant medical facilities. Hopefully, he could find somewhere that would help Connor whilst he tried to figure out what to do next.

"Change of plan, Connor." Danny said. "No idea where we are, but it looks like there might be a hospital or something." There was no response from Connor. Danny glanced down and became more concerned. Connor was completely unconscious now, his lips dry and cracked, and the sweat was pouring from him in rivers. "Ok, let's find a hospital." Danny said. He looked around, all the buildings looked the same and none of them looked like they were a hospital. Then Danny spotted something that made his heart leap with joy … hidden just behind one of the white buildings was a smaller building that resembled the ARC. It had to be the ARC, surely? Danny tried to run towards it the best he could carrying a dead weight.

"Would you mind telling me who you are and what you're doing out here?" came a voice from behind. Danny froze and turned around. The voice belonged to a soldier, and his gun was pointing straight at Danny's head.

"I'm Danny Quinn, and this is my colleague, Connor Temple. I need to get him to a doctor, he's been bitten by a snake and he's in a very bad way."

"Danny Quinn and Connor Temple?" the soldier said. Danny nodded. The soldier spoke into a radio, and lowered his gun. He held out his hand. "I'm Captain David Becker, head of security at the anomaly research centre, and it is a pleasure to meet you sir."

"Becker? … what year are we in?" Danny said, a smile creeping across his face.

"2068. We all know who you two are. My grandfather often spoke of you. Come with me, I'll take you to the ARC and Connor can get medical attention there." The young soldier smiled and beckoned for Danny to follow him.

Several minutes later, Danny was walking along the very familiar corridor of the ARC. It felt like home, but it wasn't. He half expected Lester to be around the corner, but instead they were greeted by a woman. She would have been in her late 30s, and was dressed in a dark suit.

"I'm Sophie Greene, head of operations. I wondered if this would ever happen, there was always a hope that you two were alive and would turn up somewhere in time."

"This is all a bit … overwhelming. I need time to take all this in, but first, can you get Connor here to a doctor or something? He got bitten by a snake in the Pliocene and I don't know how much longer he's got." Danny said.

"Of course. The medical facility is just down here, if you follow me." Sophie motioned for Danny to follow. They turned a corner and went through a door. "The ARC has a fully equipped hospital wing, our team are the best in the country. He'll be in excellent hands here."

Two medics took Connor from Danny's arms and placed him on a bed. He was wheeled away and they disappeared behind a curtain. "I should stay with him." Danny said. He felt uneasy about all of this.

"There's no need, Danny." Sophie said. "You can relax. He'll be back to his old self very soon. In the mean time, you can come and join me. I expect you'd like to know a little bit about how things developed after you and Connor disappeared?"

Danny reluctantly followed Sophie along yet another corridor. He did have questions that he'd like answering. "What happened to the ARC team of our time? Lester? Abby? Sarah?"

"When Connor failed to return after three months, the ARC was taken over by the military. It was the best thing that happened to it in my opinion. Something as huge as this should never have been run by civilians." Sophie said. "Captain Becker was the only one that remained. That was his grandson that brought you in. Lester was reassigned to another department within the home office and Sarah went back to her old post at the British museum."

"What about Abby? Connor will want to know what happened to her?"

"Abigail Maitland became a bit of a problem to us. She couldn't quite let go. She was put into a top position at the Central University so she could study reptiles to her heart's content, but she kept turning up at anomaly sites. She had managed to access Connor's files on his laptop and befriended an electronics expert at the University who helped her build her own anomaly detector. She wasn't a problem for long though."

"What did they do to her?" Danny felt sick.

"She was arrested and put into a military prison for her own safety. We couldn't have her turning up all the time and putting the project at risk. She claimed she was just looking for Connor, but she was a threat to national security. I think she died in prison sometime later after refusing to eat."

"Abby? A threat to national security? What kind of outfit are you running?" Danny couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. They were now at Sophie's office. She indicated for him to sit down.

"You will soon learn that we run a very tight operation here. I think you will find it very different." Sophie said.

"That's all well and good, but I just want to go back to my own time. As soon as Connor is well enough, I ask that you help us get back there so we can get on with our lives." Danny said.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. If I allow you and Connor to go back, then everything changes. You are both welcome to stay here of course, but we cannot allow you to go back."

"You can't do that!" Danny shouted. "Connor and I belong back in 2010, not here."

Sophie pulled a gun from inside her jacket pocket and held it to Danny's head. "I hoped it wouldn't come to this, Danny."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Not mine, no copyright intended**

**A/N: Several rewrites and finally got the ending I'm relatively happy with! Had a plot twist that was leaving too many loose ends to tie up, so got rid of it and its now becoming a fic of its own (see "Amnesia"). Enjoy the ending and please comment!**

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Connor slowly opened his eyes. His head felt like it was going to explode and his mouth felt like he hadn't had a drink in months. He looked at the ceiling above and then slowly turned his head from side to side. He wasn't sure, but he seemed to be in a hospital of some kind. He tried to sit up, but his hands and legs wouldn't work. He looked down, and realised his wrists and ankles were fastened down to the bed with handcuffs. What sort of hospital was this!

"Hello?" Connor called. "Nurse?"

A young girl appeared, dressed in green hospital scrubs. "Mr Temple, you're awake at last!" she said, smiling.

"Yes, I am. Could you unfasten these for me so I can sit up?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, orders from Ms Greene. I'll let her know the anti-venom has worked and that you're conscious again. She'll probably want to speak to you." The girl headed towards the door.

"Is she in charge here? Where am I? Where's Danny?" Connor demanded.

"Ms Greene will answer all your questions." The girl disappeared through the door.

Connor was confused. The last thing he remembered was Danny carrying him through the Cretaceous and hearing the all too familiar sound of a T-Rex approaching. Where was this place? And more importantly, where in time was he? It all looked pretty modern here, so he supposed he was at least somewhere close to home.

"Ah Connor, good to have you back with us." A woman had come into the room.

"Ms Greene I suppose?" Connor said. "Is this really necessary" he indicated towards his bound wrists and ankles.

"You can call me Sophie, and I'm afraid it is, especially if you're going to be as much trouble as Danny Quinn."

"Where's Danny?" Connor demanded

Sophie sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm head of operations here at the ARC, and this is approximately 60 years from when you went missing."

Connor nodded. "So, I'm in the ARC? Doesn't explain why I'm handcuffed to the bed though."

"Danny seemed to think we would help you get back to your own time once you were well enough. I told him we couldn't allow that, and he got a little … angry. He's under arrest in one of the holding cells until we decide what to do with you both." Sophie smiled. She reminded Connor of Christine Johnson in many ways, and that made him shudder.

"What do you mean, you can't allow us to go back?" Connor began to struggle.

"As I explained to Danny, when you failed to return, the ARC was handed over to military control and all the civilian team given new jobs. Our current team would never exist if you turn up."

"So, you're going to keep me and Danny prisoner here?"

"For the moment. You'll be well looked after, and you'll probably actually enjoy life here. From what I know of you, Connor, you're into computers and gadgets – this will be like a playground for you."

"I just want to go home. I have a girlfriend, my life is there." Connor said.

"Abigail Maitland, she was quite the devoted girlfriend, refused to give up on you, if that's any comfort."

Connor closed his eyes. She'd never given up on him. So she did love him after all! He had to get back somehow, tell her he loved her, have her arms around him. "Abby." He muttered. He felt weak, and felt himself drifting off to sleep.

"I'll leave you to rest, Connor. Anything you need, just ask Lucy here." Sophie stood up and indicated for the young girl from earlier to join them. "Lucy, please keep me informed on Connor's condition."

"Yes, Ma'am." Lucy said. She waited until Sophie had left the room before sitting on the bed. "Can I get you anything, Mr Temple?"

"Call me Connor, please."

"OK, Connor. Do you want anything?" her smile was kind, and her green eyes sparkled. Her red curly hair was tied back into a pony tail, with wisps hanging around her face. Connor decided he liked her, and maybe he could get her on his side.

"I'd really like some water, my mouth feels like a desert!" Connor said.

Lucy disappeared briefly, and came back with a glass of water and a straw. She held it for Connor as he sipped.

"This would be easier if my wrists and ankles weren't fastened down you know." He said.

"I'm sorry, I'd help you if I could, but I'd lose my job if I went against orders."

"I understand. Worth a try though eh?" he smiled. Lucy giggled. Connor was going to have to try another tactic.

"You should try to get some sleep. You were very ill when you came in." she said, placing the glass on the table next to the bed.

"You're right. I do feel tired. Would you do me a favour though Lucy?" she nodded. "Will you let Danny know that I'm OK?"

"I'll try, but I'm not really allowed anywhere near the holding cells. David might be able to tell him though." She blushed.

"David?"

"Captain Becker, he's the grandson of your Captain Becker. I'll see what I can do, no promises though." Lucy said. With that, she left Connor to sleep. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, thoughts of Abby dancing around in his head.

Danny was pacing back and forth. He was certain all sorts of laws were being broken here, but if these people were military then there was nothing anyone could do. He'd tried befriending the soldiers who came to bring him food, but they were very professional. No-one was telling him anything, not even how Connor was. As far as he could tell, he'd been here two nights now.

There was a bang as the door of his cell was flung open. It was too early for food, so he suspected this was not going to be good. He automatically reached into his pocket for his gun, but it wasn't there. He hadn't had it for some time, but the habit was hard to shake off. The soldier that had entered the cell was the young Captain Becker.

"Danny, I can't stay long, but I needed to get a message to you."

Danny scowled. "Unless it's to say you're releasing me and letting me go home then I'm not interested."

"Connor's regained consciousness, the anti-venom has finally worked. Thought you would want to know." The soldier said, and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Danny called. Becker turned round. "Thank you. Does he know what's going on?"

"He's been told, yes. Greene's got him handcuffed to the bed, she seems to think if he's allowed free run of the ARC, he'll work out how to open an anomaly and get home." He rolled his eyes and his eyebrows raised.

Danny smiled. Greene was probably right. The technology may be new, but it wouldn't take Connor long to figure it out.

"For what it's worth, I think they're wrong to stop you from going back to where you belong." Becker said. "I grew up listening to stories from my grandfather, and he made us promise that we would do everything we could to help you if you ever showed up."

"Then keep that promise! Your grandfather and I may not have always seen eye to eye, but he was a decent man." Danny said.

"I'm working on it." Becker said. "Just keep your head down and do as they say. Connor is not fully fit, but when he is…" and with that, the soldier left, slamming the door behind him. Danny suddenly felt positive again. Who'd have thought help would come in the form of soldier boy's grandson?

A few more days passed. Danny had persuaded Sophie Greene that he was not about to make an escape attempt, and he was allowed out of his cell during the day, as long as he was accompanied by a soldier. His first thought was to go and see Connor, and he was relieved to see his young colleague and friend looking well again. He'd tried to get them to take off the handcuffs, saying they could put Connor under guard like he was, but no-one listened.

Connor was getting frustrated. The skin on his wrists and ankles was rubbed raw where he had struggled against the cuffs. Lucy applied cream daily and helped him eat and drink. He hated being so helpless and having to rely on someone to feed him. Seeing Danny had helped a little, and he had so many questions, but it was obvious Danny couldn't really talk.

"You must be getting pretty fed up." Lucy said, as she wiped Connor's mouth.

"That's an understatement!" Connor said.

"David has a plan." She whispered. "We're going to help you and Danny." She glanced over her shoulder to check they were alone. "He's going to pass instructions to Danny later."

"Really? Lucy, that's … you're risking a lot." Connor whispered back.

"We are, but this is the right thing to do. You don't belong here. When you came in, I was given access to your old personal files to check your medical history. It was easy to get into Abby's files from there. I read what they did to her, she didn't deserve that. That's why I agreed to help." Lucy said.

"Abby? What happened to her?" Connor tried to sit up.

"I've said too much, I shouldn't have said anything."

"Tell me, Lucy! I have to know."

"She kept turning up at anomalies and the new ARC team didn't like it. David's grandfather, your Captain Becker, helped her escape several times, but in the end there was nothing he could do when they caught her. She died in a military prison." Lucy turned away, she could see the pain in Connor's eyes and couldn't bare to look at him any more.

Connor swallowed back the tears he could feel welling up. "Thank you." He whispered. Lucy turned back and squeezed his hand.

"Won't be long now. You'll be home and back with her soon." She said. "Stay strong."

Danny turned the piece of paper over and over in his hands. The plan seemed simple enough, although its success relied on Connor being able to find the right anomaly on the computer database and programming it into the opening device. He had every confidence in Connor's ability, but was 15 minutes enough?

His mood was good, not even the taunts from Sophie Greene could spoil it. Tonight he would be back home, assuming all went to plan. He stopped by the medical wing to say hi to Connor. Did Connor know what was going to happen? He wished he could say something, but the soldier watching him prevented anything more than just casual chit-chat. He hoped Connor was up to this. Although he seemed to have fully recovered from the snake bite, he'd been immobile for several days. They may have to run, and Connor would likely struggle to even walk. Danny contemplated the thought that, yet again, he may have to carry Connor through the anomaly.

As Danny was forced back into his cell for the night, he began to grow nervous. The staff were all leaving. As planned, young Captain Becker was on guard duty. It would only be a matter of minutes now.

The door banged open. "Go, now! All the security systems are offline. I could only program in a delay of 15 minutes before the backup system kicks in. That's the most I can give you!" Becker yelled. He handed Danny the anomaly opener. "Good luck."

Danny nodded a thank you, and ran towards the medical wing. Lucy was there, unlocking the handcuffs that had held Connor down. He was sitting up, rubbing his wrists.

"Danny! This is it!" he grinned

"I know, but we have to be quick. We have less than fifteen minutes, and its all down to you to get us out of here!" the urgency in Danny's voice made Connor practically leap off his bed.

"Owwww!" his legs didn't feel like his own.

"Lean on me, Connor." Lucy said. She hooked her arm under Connor's arms and somehow they managed to stagger along the corridor to the main operations room.

"The database is on this computer." Young Becker said. Connor sat on the chair and began searching for the files he needed. The others could only watch, helpless. Time ticked on, and Connor was getting angry with himself. His wrists hurt and his fingers just wouldn't move as fast as he wanted them too. He let a small growl of frustration.

"Take a deep breath, Connor. We have seven minutes…" Danny said. He chewed his bottom lip and tapped his foot nervously. He glanced at Becker and Lucy. "We need more time! Is there anything you can do?"

"The security systems have an automatic back up, I've held them off as long as I could." Becker said.

"Got it!" Connor yelled. "It'll take us back to about 2 weeks after I left." He was already downloading the details to the console where he had connected the opening device.

"Come on, come on!" Danny said. Four minutes left. How long did it take for the data to load onto the device?

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Connor snapped. He was watching the screen … 85% … 86% …

"I know, I'm sorry." Danny said. "We're really pushing it though."

98% …. 99% … "It's done!" Connor grabbed the device out of the console. He pointed it towards the centre of the room and pressed the button. An anomaly had never looked as beautiful as the one that appeared at that moment.

"One minute! GO!" Becker yelled.

"Come with us. You're going to be in so much trouble…" Connor said.

"We can't, Connor. We both have relatives in your time, it could cause all sorts of problems." Lucy said. "Go, before it's too late." She hugged Connor and kissed his cheeks, then hugged Danny. "Take care."

"Thank you, both of you, for everything." Danny said.

Connor turned back and looked at Lucy and Becker with sad eyes. What was going to happen to them now? He whispered a 'thank you' through the lump in his throat.

Danny grabbed Connor's arm and pulled him through the anomaly. Lucy and Becker were left staring at the glowing ball for a few seconds until it disappeared. They grinned at each other, just as the alarms went off.

Abby woke with a start. Her mobile was ringing. She glanced at the clock at the side of her bed, just after 3am. _This had better be good_! she thought. The display on the phone told her it was Becker calling. He'd taken the night shift at the ARC again.

"What's up?" she muttered, still half asleep.

"We had an anomaly alert five minutes ago, it was at the race track."

Abby sat up, suddenly wide awake. "Is it Connor?"

"I'm on my way there now with a back up team. It was only open for a few seconds, could just be a glitch." Becker said.

"I'm on my way." Abby said, she was already out of bed and searching for some clothes. A few seconds was long enough for Connor to come through. It had to be him! She was shaking, what if he was hurt? What if he'd changed?

The drive to the race track should have taken 20 minutes, but at this time of night the roads were clear and Abby could put her foot down. She was there within 10 minutes, and as she pulled in and drove towards where the ARC vehicles were parked, she knew it was more that just a glitch. There was a lot of activity, and as she got out of her car, she heard a familiar laugh.

"Connor!" she shouted, running towards the vehicles. She couldn't see him at first, but as the group of soldiers stepped aside she saw him. It was like the rest of the world had stopped, and Connor was the only thing that existed.

"Abby!" he shouted back, and he tried to run towards her. "Owww!"

"You're hurt!" Abby was at his side, wrapping her arms around him.

"It's nothing. Had worse." He said. It felt good to be in her arms and he pulled her closer. After a few minutes, she pulled away and thumped him in the chest.

"Owww! What was that for?"

"I'm going to kill you, Connor Temple! Do you have any idea what I've been through these last two weeks!" she squeezed him tightly again.

"Hey, Abby. Don't be too hard on him." Danny put his hand on her shoulder. She turned round, mouth open.

"Danny? Oh my god! He found you!" Abby released Connor and hugged Danny.

"Of course, did you ever have any doubt?" Danny grinned. "Connor's my hero right now!"

"I think you played quite a big part too, Danny." Connor said.

Abby eyed both of them suspiciously. Then she noticed the wounds on Connor's wrists. It looked like he'd been tied up or something. She held his hands and questioned him with her eyes. He pulled his hands away and circled them around her waist.

"Explanations later, Abs. Danny and I have quite a story to tell. But right now, I just want to get home." He whispered into her ear. "I owe you a few apologies… and Becker."

"You know there's nothing going on between me and him don't you? He's been a good friend, but that's all it is Conn, friends." Abby said.

"I was stupid. I wasn't me for a while, and I wasn't thinking straight. This time away has put a few things back into perspective. I love you, and I know you love me. I shouldn't have had any doubts about that." He kissed her softly on the lips.

"No, you shouldn't have had doubts, didn't I tell you what you meant to me?"

Danny coughed. "Sorry to break up the happy reunion, but Becker wants to know who needs a lift?"

"We're OK. I'm taking Connor straight home. We have some catching up to do." Abby said. "What about you Danny? Where will you go?" She recalled the first night that she and Connor had come home. They'd had to sleep at the ARC because their flat had been let out to someone else.

"That new guy, Matt? He's arranged for me to stay at a bed and breakfast near the ARC. I've got a 'debriefing' in the morning, although Connor's already pretty much filled me in on what's happened since I disappeared." Danny smiled. He suddenly felt very tired. "I'll see you kids tomorrow." he turned and slowly walked towards Becker's car, a huge grin on his face.

Abby took Connor's hand. "You ready?" she said.

Connor nodded. "I think I finally worked out what I should be doing whilst I was away."

"Oh?"

"If I'd done my job properly, Danny and I would have been home days ago. As of tomorrow, Connor Temple is back!" he grinned, and kissed Abby.

"Pleased to hear it." Abby said. "Now let's get you home."

Home. That sounded good. Finally, he could enjoy being in a relationship with Abby – to her, he was the only man on Earth that mattered, and he liked that idea a lot.


End file.
